Resolved: Traditional methodologists are a bunch of process-dependent sticks in the mud who’d rather produce flawless documentation than a working system that meets business needs.

Rebuttal: Lightweight, er, "agile" methodologists are a bunch of glorified hackers who are going to be in for a heck of a surprise when they try to scale up their "toys" into enterprise-level software.

Ah, come on -- we're not that far apart, are we? In the December 2001 issue of Cutter IT Journal, we'll begin our debate on agile vs. traditional methodologies and see where there are true differences and where we can find common ground. Can traditional methodologies handle change? Can agile methodologies scale up? Do traditional methodologies put people last? Are there problem domains where agilists should fear to tread? Next month, pack your opinions and come along for the ride!

Coming in January: The Debate Goes On...

It may sound a little racy, but customer intimacy is really just about knowing your customers so that you can anticipate and meet their needs. As organizations strive to become customer-centered, their need for cross-organizational customer information increases. Can they overcome 40+ years of bad IT habits and organization-centric systems? What new approaches are they implementing? Is it technology or organizational behavior that needs changing? In this issue, you'll find out whether your organization has what it takes to create long-lasting, "intimate" relationships with your customers.